Faced with her colleague’s question, Bai Yuling didn’t answer directly. Instead, she posed a question of her own.
“Do you remember what I told you earlier about someone who might be able to help us clarify the case?”
Hearing this, the young agent didn’t overthink it and quickly replied, “Of course I remember. Wait, Director… you don’t mean to say that the person you mentioned, the one who might help us crack the case, is this little girl right here in front of you?”
Finally realizing why Bai Yuling had brought up her previous statement, the young agent glanced at Yan Qi, who didn’t even reach half his height, and asked Bai Yuling with some uncertainty.
In response to her colleague’s question, Bai Yuling promptly nodded and confirmed, “Yes, she is the person I mentioned before.”
Receiving Bai Yuling’s affirmative answer, the young agent couldn’t suppress his genuine reaction. “But, Director,” he blurted out, “she looks just like a child. There’s no way she can actually help us.”
Hearing the young agent’s words, and before Bai Yuling could even speak, Yan Qi, who felt underestimated, looked up at him with clear dissatisfaction. “Oh? Just because I look like a kid, you assume I can’t be of any help?”
Taken aback by her retort, the young agent paused for a moment, a thought occurring to him. “Look like a kid? Uh, well… miss, how old are you, exactly?” he asked.
At this, Yan Qi crossed her arms seriously and replied with utmost sincerity, “I am fourteen years old this year.”
Hearing her answer, the young agent—who had half-expected her to just have a youthful appearance while being much older—couldn’t help the twitch at the corner of his mouth. He looked at Yan Qi and continued, “Fourteen? That is a child.”
“Listen, mister, I need to explain a very important point of common knowledge to you,” Yan Qi stated. “Once a person passes fourteen, they are no longer considered a child, but a teenager. Do you understand?”
“I understand great—… huh? Why did you suddenly switch to that ‘Japanese officer’ accent?” The young agent, influenced by years of war dramas, almost instinctively replied in the same exaggerated accent but caught himself just in time, avoiding embarrassment in front of his colleagues and the Director.
Ignoring his question about the accent, Yan Qi looked at him and pressed, “Never mind why I used the accent. Did you or did you not hear the common knowledge I just explained?”
Knowing that what she had said was technically correct, the young agent didn’t argue the point further. “I heard you,” he said. “But even if you’re a teenager, that doesn’t mean you have the capability to get involved in a case handled by our Special Affairs Bureau. Do you have any idea how troublesome this particular case is?”
“I know. That’s precisely why I’m here,” Yan Qi replied with notable confidence.
Puzzled about who could have briefed her on the case details, the young agent couldn’t help asking, “You know? Who told you?”
“Sister An’an, of course,” Yan Qi said, pointing towards Shen An’an, who had just stepped out of the car.
Following the direction Yan Qi pointed, the young agent glanced at Shen An’an and pressed further, “When did she tell you about it?”
“Earlier, when she was helping me test for supernatural abilities at the Bureau,” Yan Qi declared, now possessing formidable power herself and utterly fearless.
“You said you were tested for supernatural abilities at the Bureau? So… you’re an Awakened?” Hearing her words, the young agent suddenly realized the implication and couldn’t hide his curiosity.
To this question, Yan Qi nodded, openly admitting the fact. “That’s right, I am what you call an Awakened. And far stronger than most ordinary ones, at that.”
Hearing her answer, the young agent glanced at Bai Yuling standing beside Yan Qi. Seeing that the Director didn’t contradict Yan Qi’s claim, he understood it was likely true. He finally wiped the previous look of dismissiveness off his face. But then another thought struck him, and he asked Yan Qi, “So you’re an Awakened… but why haven’t you released your aura?”
“Because if I let my aura spread out freely, it would cause… significant problems,” Yan Qi explained.
“Just your aura would cause major trouble? Are you serious?” he questioned, skepticism creeping back into his voice.
“What’s this, mister? You don’t believe me?” Yan Qi picked up on the doubt in his tone, looked him straight in the eye, and threw the question back at him.
“It’s not that I don’t believe you,” the young agent defended, “it’s just that I’m a stickler for details. I don’t like leaving things half-finished.”
Hearing his response, Yan Qi let out a slight laugh and then made him a proposition. “Since you’re such a stickler for details, mister, how about you experience my released aura for yourself?”
Hearing Yan Qi’s suggestion, and knowing full well that Yan Qi had now cultivated power comparable to a Three-Star Awakened in every aspect, Bai Yuling quickly intervened. “Xiao Qi, you can’t do that! If something happens to him, you’ll be in trouble too.”
Hearing Bai Yuling’s words, the young agent was visibly stunned, as he had no prior knowledge of Yan Qi’s actual level of power.
Yan Qi, also hearing Bai Yuling’s warning, quickly turned to her with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Aunt Bai. I’ll be careful.”
Hearing Yan Qi’s promise, and knowing this child had always disliked people who looked down on her and often found ways to teach them a small lesson, Bai Yuling sighed and conceded, “Alright then, since you put it that way, Xiao Qi.”
Seeing that Bai Yuling wasn’t going to stop her anymore, Yan Qi turned her gaze back to the young Special Affairs Bureau member standing opposite her. “Well, mister? You still haven’t answered my question.”
Hearing her words, and recalling what Bai Yuling had just said to Yan Qi, the young agent realized he might have made a serious misstep. If he hadn’t spoken so recklessly before, he wouldn’t now find himself pressured by a young girl, stuck between a rock and a hard place with no easy way out.